Chapter 55: Exclusive Buyout

On Paradise Eternal Darkness’s end, he was in a hotel discussing matters with friends. Glancing at the message, he pondered briefly before saying, “How skilled is your friend? My team already has a few veterans, so it might be hard to fit someone in.”

Lu Kuan didn’t reply with words. Instead, he sent Paradise Eternal Darkness a screenshot of “Gentle Radiance’s” attributes.

“Is this your own equipment!?”

This time, Paradise Eternal Darkness couldn’t remain calm. He shot up from his seat with a start, startling those nearby.

Lu Kuan grinned, “It belongs to my priest friend. The other two’s gear is no worse than this. See for yourself…”

“No problem!” Paradise Eternal Darkness made the decision instantly, as if afraid Lu Kuan might change his mind.

He couldn’t help it—this equipment’s special effect was simply too important. With it, many members could replace their mana-regenerating gear with normal equipment, meaning a significant boost in combat power!

Everything unfolded exactly as Lu Kuan had foreseen. After ending the call with Paradise Eternal Darkness, Lu Kuan strolled leisurely to the auction house to see how his items were selling.

Since his rebirth, among all the things Lu Kuan had bought and resold, mana regeneration gear was what he’d prepared for the longest and collected the most of. This business venture provided him with the bulk of his initial capital in the game.

The auction house was as crowded as ever. Lu Kuan found himself a relatively quiet spot, summoned up the private auction interface, and watched with easy satisfaction.

Just about every minute, another piece of equipment was sold. Watching his auction list shrink and his gold coin pouch expand, Lu Kuan was struck by a wave of nostalgia; it reminded him of his first job after university in his previous life.

Receiving his first paycheck back then had filled him with the same sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.

“A real master! Haha~”

Just as Lu Kuan was lost in thought, someone patted him on the shoulder. He turned in surprise and found it was Qian Duoduo.

The wealthy gamer before him had now advanced his class, swapping out his old weapon for a massive two-handed sword. The blade, as wide as a palm, shimmered with a fiery red glow—flamboyant and eye-catching, perfectly matching Qian Duoduo’s style.

Lu Kuan glanced at the class badge on Qian Duoduo’s chest and thought to himself, as expected—Qian Duoduo had advanced to the game’s most dashing class, the “Sword Saint.” However, that class demanded considerable skill; Lu Kuan wondered if Qian Duoduo would get used to it.

Standing beside Qian Duoduo was a tall elven mage, eyes gleaming as he looked at Lu Kuan.

Qian Duoduo, ever the cheerful sort, clasped his hands in a mock salute and said, “It’s only been a day, Old Lu, and you’ve already become a world-famous master. I’m truly in awe~”

“Alright, cut it out with the flattery.” Lu Kuan waved him off.

Qian Duoduo grinned broadly and leaned in, continuing, “By the way, master, I was just wandering by the bank plaza, near the fountain, and happened to see you come out with three stunning beauties. Those figures, that aura—tsk tsk…”

Lu Kuan coughed pointedly, cutting short Qian Duoduo’s nonsense. “If that’s all you wanted to say, I’m leaving.”

“No, no, wait—haha~”

Qian Duoduo quickly put on a serious face and pulled the tall mage over. “Let me introduce a friend—he’s a veteran gaming journalist, goes by the ID ‘Beloved Rogue.’”

The tall mage stepped forward and extended both hands politely to Lu Kuan. “Hello, I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Not at all.” Lu Kuan replied modestly, shaking hands while sizing the man up with a smile. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re the one who wrote ‘The Big Scandal’ for ‘Vanguard Game’ back in the day?”

“You’ve read my article?” Beloved Rogue looked delighted.

“Vanguard Game” was the nation’s top gaming news site. Years ago, a signed article titled “The Big Scandal” had rocked the entire virtual MMO community.

The article exposed the sordid secrets of the professional scene in a virtual MMO called “Magical Dynasty.” Its writing was incisive, every word cutting to the bone—and the author was the very man before him, Beloved Rogue.

It had been major news in his previous life, and Lu Kuan remembered it vividly, holding a favorable impression of Beloved Rogue. He hadn’t expected him to be friends with Qian Duoduo.

Lu Kuan nodded, then turned to Qian Duoduo, waiting for him to state his business.

“It was me who asked Duoduo for an introduction,”

Beloved Rogue spoke up before Qian Duoduo could continue, “I’ll be direct—Master, the top-ranked ring on the equipment leaderboard right now, that’s yours, isn’t it? Would you let me see its attributes? I guarantee the information fee will satisfy you.”

Lu Kuan didn’t answer right away, instead glancing at Qian Duoduo. Seeing this, Qian Duoduo patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry, Master. This is a direct assignment from the editor-in-chief of Vanguard Game’s site. The budget’s ample—name your price, you won’t be shortchanged.”

Lu Kuan grinned, fixing Beloved Rogue with a look. “Of course I trust you two. Why don’t you name your price, and I’ll consider it.”

As soon as talk turned to his profession, Beloved Rogue straightened up, confidently holding up two fingers. “Let’s go with our site’s Class-A scoop rate—twenty thousand.”

“Haha, that’s hardly generous. If I recall, some exclusives from ‘Magical Dynasty’ were sold for thirty thousand, weren’t they?” Lu Kuan smiled and shook his head, remaining unhurried.

Beloved Rogue paused, habitually furrowing his brow.

Before coming, he had thoroughly researched “Old Lu.” All the posts and videos online pointed to him being a recent high school graduate.

From years of experience, Beloved Rogue judged this supposedly up-and-coming master to be just a kid. With his own eloquence, he thought, he could just nudge the price up a little and certainly clinch the deal.

But this Ranger’s tone and expression were nothing like what Beloved Rogue had expected.

Off to the side, Qian Duoduo curled his lips in a smile and winked at Beloved Rogue, as if to say: See? I warned you—this guy’s an old hand, and you didn’t believe me.

To his credit, Beloved Rogue was a seasoned reporter. His expression didn’t change as he replied, “That’s not quite fair. Back then, the source for ‘Magical Dynasty’ exclusives was already a renowned top-tier player…”

“Alright, alright. I actually hate haggling. We’re all professionals here, so let’s get to the point,”

Lu Kuan cut him off, saying, “What’s your boss’s buyout ceiling—seventy thousand? No more than eighty-five thousand, I bet? I’m not greedy; fifty thousand is enough. The rest, let’s consider it a gesture of friendship.”

At this, no matter how composed Beloved Rogue was, he couldn’t help being utterly shocked: Damn, can this kid read minds? How did he guess it so accurately?

Had Lu Kuan just thrown out a random figure like a hundred thousand, Beloved Rogue wouldn’t have been fazed. But the actual cap set by his boss was eighty-five thousand!